Panel (mis)alignment and/or gap getting worse?!

[Pkmmte]

I feel you. These panel gaps just keep getting larger by the day. Just look at mine!

/jk

 

[Macb00kemdanno]

I look at the photos and have a hard time seeing any issues. Just looks like a beautiful Model 3 to me.

Same here, not seeing the problem?

 

[M109Rider]

Thanks for the support TeeEmCee!

Mock the OP who is a mechanical engineer with extensive experience in thermodynamics and heat transfer...

M109Rider provides a lot of criticism with little support for his claims - what he is trying to say is the popping panels of the M3 are actually heatsinks dissipating 100% of the heat created by supercharging the battery at 120 kW in 20° outdoor temperature, and that neighboring components and joints are coated with some magical compound that prevents them from absorbing heat from the battery and popping panels.

I’m shocked a mechanical engineer would believe the bangs we hear during charging would cause panel gaps.

 

[johnster007]

IMHO, I’d stop looking at panel gaps and imperfections and enjoy it. My wife did this with me and we are much happier as a result.

 

[Stirfelt]

TeeEmCee - Excellent and informative analysis.
I backed out before ordering for the very reasons you cite.
I'm still hopeful .... but willing to give Tesla more time to resolves assembly issues.
My personality would be conflicted with having to return a brand new $60k vehicle to the SC to correct defects. (I have been spoiled by Toyota).

An observation based on multiple thread:
A year ago everyone raved about the SC's performance. Then Tesla started delivering poorly assembled vehicle and left it to the SC to correct. Suddenly they were overwhelmed.

 

[TeeEmCee]

TeeEmCee - Excellent and informative analysis.
I backed out before ordering for the very reasons you cite.
I'm still hopeful .... but willing to give Tesla more time to resolves assembly issues.
My personality would be conflicted with having to return a brand new $60k vehicle to the SC to correct defects. (I have been spoiled by Toyota).

An observation based on multiple thread:
A year ago everyone raved about the SC's performance. Then Tesla started delivering poorly assembled vehicle and left it to the SC to correct. Suddenly they were overwhelmed.

That plus this unlikely-to-be-random finding of mine: the older the Tesla, the better it was put together. The best one I drove was a Signature Model S. Despite the crap old Mercedes switchgear and light-leaking screens, it was a joy to drive and there were no rattles and squeaks to detract from the enjoyment. No Tesla ever gave me the fizz like that one.

 

[Jedi2155]

I actually had a similar belief that its possible Tesla existing mounting mechanisms may be insufficient. My rear bumper actually appeared to be falling out due to either the trunk lid starting to shift or something else. This after about 5000+ miles. You can see the white mark on caused by the Trunk lid impacting the bumper. To the point where the bumper is now detaching.



On the right side, there is no gap or very minute:



Was going to ask Tesla to fix it but then I got into a small accident requiring a bumper replacement anyways...go figure.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I actually had a similar belief that its possible Tesla existing mounting mechanisms may be insufficient. My rear bumper actually appeared to be falling out due to either the trunk lid starting to shift or something else. This after about 5000+ miles. You can see the white mark on caused by the Trunk lid impacting the bumper. To the point where the bumper is now detaching.

View attachment 368581 View attachment 368580

On the right side, there is no gap or very minute:

View attachment 368582

Was going to ask Tesla to fix it but then I got into a small accident requiring a bumper replacement anyways...go figure.

This asymmetry (the gap) is normal. It's been on every car I have personally looked at (I saw a report that a new trunk lid seal they came out with covers this gap). The mark from the trunk lid seems a bit strange. That being said, some of their mounting mechanisms may well be insufficient, though I think it's more likely to be incorrectly executed welds on a minority of cars. I don't know anything about welding except that it is possible to do it poorly, yet have it seem ok at first.

Weird rain damage

 

[Jedi2155]

This asymmetry (the gap) is normal. It's been on every car I have personally looked at (I saw a report that a new trunk lid seal they came out with covers this gap). The mark from the trunk lid seems a bit strange. That being said, some of their mounting mechanisms may well be insufficient, though I think it's more likely to be incorrectly executed welds on a minority of cars. I don't know anything about welding except that it is possible to do it poorly, yet have it seem ok at first.

Weird rain damage

My only thing, was that it isn't normal to be able to see into the frame. The gap large enough to put a finger through....so I don't think that's particularly normal.

 

[boiler81]

I agree that Tesla needs to get their fitment, body painting, and Service Center "house in order" to compete with world class auto makers. They just don't have the experience building and servicing cars like the legacy automakers.
That said, I think they will get there, and are showing signs of improvement. Tesla is improving and/or fixing some design issues, albeit not necessarily for existing customer,(unless they do it with a software OTA update).

​

 

[ebmcs03]

I thought it was my imagination. After 5800 miles I’ve noticed difference in panel gaps than when I first got the car. Especially the charging port flap. It was flashing when I got the car now it doesn’t close all the way

 

[Stirfelt]

Just a personal opinion ......

We all agree ... Tesla engineers designed an absolutely beautiful, innovative, electronic marvel .... years ahead of the competition.

Unfortunately .... for whatever reason, possibly assembly inexperience ............ Tesla vehicle are poorly assembled.
Inconsistency seems to be the problem. While many write on this forum about no problems ... way too many complain about issues that should have been resolved before now.
The 3's build quality deteriorated when the factory when into high production 6-8 months ago. 3's are being delivered that should never have left Fremont.

Now the SC are overwhelmed with warranty work .... 6-8 months ago owners praised their work. Not so much now.

We all want Tesla to succeed; to be sure, the car is so innovative that many owners are willing to live with the defects ...
but others that are not yet owners, are waiting for QC to improve. The reduction of the Fed. Tax Credit hit at a bad time when .... just when the M3's build-quality is experiencing assembly problems. Hopefully, these can be corrected quickly.

Please do not let Tesla go the way of the DeLoreon.

 

[TeeEmCee]

Please do not let Tesla go the way of the DeLoreon.

Contrary to what many around here feel (I was going to say "think" but "feel" is a lot more appropriate), the only way Tesla is going to avoid pulling a DeLorean is to very closely listen to the thousands of us who are essentially doing free quality control and validation work for them, all that after having paid them handsomely to deliver a seriously flawed product.

Only grit and discipline will carry Tesla through. Head down, humble and treat the customer with respect. Respect their asset, their time and their investment in Tesla.
If they listen and please us grumbling ones, they will succeed wildly. If they listen to the (shockingly substantial around here) "Tesla can do no wrong" crowd, they will fail miserably. If we + Tesla go with the participation trophy + "you're the best as long as you feel you're the best" approach, they're doomed.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

My only thing, was that it isn't normal to be able to see into the frame. The gap large enough to put a finger through....so I don't think that's particularly normal.

I assume your pictures are from before your snowbank incident. After comparing to my car, yours definitely looks worse, though definitely an inconsequential gap on the left for me. And the trunk lid hitting the bumper cover seems bad. Something is askew for you...

My vehicle is far from the pinnacle of perfection, though. And I’m not that picky. I just drive it. Fortunately mechanically it is solid. In 6 or 9 months I’ll get a service center appointment to get it all set straight. Hoping the service center moves to a location further from the quarry.

 

[Jedi2155]

The pictures were literally the day before the snowbank incident. Mechanically the only problems were user caused so I still trust Tesla's general reliability. So I'll likely be paying for the repair out of pocket.

Definitely interesting in that my bumper is not alone. I'd keep an eye out on it. I did go through a small to moderate rain puddle once or twice in the months back possible akin to thr scenario that pulled off the bumper of other cars so it may have built up over time until it became noticeable.

As a long time supporter of Tesla (heard of them back in 2007 and knew of the founders before that), I know they could very well go the way of Delorean which is why I give them as much slack as I could.

That being said somethings are simply unacceptable from a for profit company, and i'll hold them up to the quality of work that is reasonable.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Definitely interesting in that my bumper is not alone. I'd keep an eye out on it. I did go through a small to moderate rain puddle once or twice in the months back possible akin to the scenario that pulled off the bumper of other cars so it may have built up over time until it became noticeable.

Would be interesting to see whether your brackets are still attached, regardless of whether it was caused by water or the snowbank incident (neither should have caused detaching). Anyway my guess is they are still attached, as this would cause the bumper to drop and can't see how the trunk lid would start hitting the bumper cover as it is in your case. But I'd kind of expect the bumper cover to feel a little loose when pressed from on top, if the brackets had given way. I guess the easy way to figure it out, without removing the bumper cover is to undo those bolts right at the back bottom of the cover (underneath the plastic flip covers) and see whether the bracket falls off inside the bumper cover when you do this!

So I guess you're going to go ahead with a repaint of the bumper cover? Are they just going to sand & paint & feather it? Your damage didn't look bad at all. My brother is a claims adjuster and his claim is that experts at paint shops will tell you it's FAR preferable long term to just do a spot repair of the paint & repair any minor damage to the cover, rather than start with a fresh one. Much more likely to be better paint and last longer, and if done properly it is indistinguishable from new. Unless of course you get one of these alleged factory painted bumper covers (I'd want to see it for myself before it went on the car, though!).

 

[Stirfelt]

Just curious ......

So many defects appear to be simply sloppy workmanship, carelessness, or no pride in effort. That is only explanation for misaligned components, gaps, scratches, dings, trash in paint, and on and on.
Is Tesla having labor or morale issue in Fremont? Maybe Fremont is too close to the Bay Area.
Other manufacturers are building fine automobiles elsewhere in the USA.

It would be great to hear from an assembly line worker about factory conditions, and an explanation for defects.

We've all watched the assembly of automobiles on TV, where inspectors examine each vehicle, and mark areas that need additional attention. Has Tesla eliminated those inspections in a cost cutting effort?

And what about the S .... are they experiencing similar careless defects .... I haven't heard or read of any.

Opinion: Tesla needs to correct the defects in the assembly of the 3 before introducing the Y and a pick-up.

 

[Ludalicious]

Or perhaps they were not fastened/tightened properly to begin with and they did shift, perhaps simply from vibration associated with normal use? I have plenty of examples with my car of loose parts, some of them causing the hood to move out of alignment for example.

But hey, why not take it to a service center first before complaining online...

 

[super20g]

When it comes to body work, prepare to have whatever you take the car in for made worse at first. If they're anything like the SCs in my area, they will trash your car and then look at you funny when you tell them you expect them to do a proper job. Service centers seem to be very poorly prepared to deal with body issues. In my case, I spoke to Tesla Service Support the other day and will get their authorization to take the car to a third-party body shop in hopes that they can align and fix what the SC has failed to accomplish in 7 attempts.
If you have body issues that can be classified as borderline OK (by Tesla's pathetic standards), then maybe you should consider leaving them alone. There's a very good chance they will screw it up and then break or scratch a whole lot of other things on top of that.

This... I just gave up. Can't believe you have 7 attempted fixes. I live 2+ hrs away and its just too much work to keep taking days off to mess with it so I gave up at 3 attempts. Each time they would scratch or break more parts. I convinced them to flat bed the vehicle up to service this last time and it arrived back with scratches on all the rims that wont go away from the strap marks... I give up. The quality and service issues took all the fun out of what was a great initial experience.

 

[TheLocNar]

The sensor is unacceptable. They should fix that. The headlights are off too. I would be unhappy with that. They'll probably tell you "within spec" though. Get it all looked at.